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A New Publication From the Land Use Law Center: Protecting the Environment Through Land Use Law: Standing Ground, by John Nolon

Professor John R. Nolon’s Protecting the Environment through Land Use Law: Standing Ground takes a close look at the historical struggle local governments face balancing land development with natural resource conservation. This new book updates and expands on his four previous books, which established a comprehensive framework for understanding the many ways that local land use authority can be used to preserve natural resources and environmental functions at the community level. All royalties from the book will go to the Center to support its staff and students in preparing research reports for local government leaders. For more details and ordering information, click here.

The Center recently received several honors and grants reflecting the importance of the work carried out by its staff members and student volunteers. The Center was awarded close to two million dollars in New York State funding to continue its sustainable development work. In partnership with Rutgers University and The College of New Jersey/Sustainable Jersey, Center staff will design and implement a comprehensive, state-wide community climate action certification program with a web interface that facilitates the application and certification process.

Additionally, the Center was awarded a New York Department of State Local Government Efficiency grant to expand the Mayor’s Redevelopment Roundtable for cities in the New York Hudson Valley Region. This award recognizes the Center’s work providing cutting-edge policy research for and advising the cities and their legal, development, and planning departments to identify urban redevelopment barriers, develop best practices to overcome them, and implement these practices in each of the participating cities to create job-producing, sustainable neighborhoods. Read more.

Professor John R. Nolon, Counsel to the Land Use Law Center and Director of the Kheel Center on the Resolution of Environmental Interest Disputes, has been invited to participate again in the next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Expert Meeting on Human Settlements and Infrastructure, which will be held this spring in Calcutta, India. The meeting will be part of Professor Nolon’s involvement with the IPCC, assisting on a study of human settlements and climate change as a member of the expert group for the Panel’s Fifth Assessment Report scheduled to be released in 2014.

LULA Program Founder Among Westchester's "Most Influential Residents"

John R. Nolon was selected by Westchester Magazine as one of "Westchester's Most Influential Residents" for his work at the Land Use Law Center. According to the article, published in November, 2008, "The planet, many of us have come to realize, is in need of help, and, it seems, no one has done more to help our piece of it than John R. Nolon..., the founder of Pace Law School’s nationally acclaimed Land Use Law Center, a training and research center for environmental and land issues. Professor Nolon has taught, through a special leadership training program, more than 1,500 Hudson Valley leaders, decision-makers, legislators, citizens, and activists how to use—and, if necessary, change—local laws in order to protect and improve the environment and support eco-friendly development. 'John is known as the green guru of Westchester,' says Ned Sullivan, president of the 45-year-old and 25,000-member-strong environmental group Scenic Hudson. 'Not only is he a consummate legal practitioner, he is also a highly skilled mediator. I’ve seen him help Westchester public officials at odds over competing visions of land use to forge a shared agenda and move forward.'"

The USGBC & Land Use Law Center Announce Two Resources to Help Local Governments Create Sustainable Neighborhoods

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Land Use Law Center announce two new free resources – the Technical Guidance Manual for Sustainable Neighborhoods and the Neighborhood Development Floating Zone – to help local governments leverage the LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system as a sustainability tool. The LEED-ND rating system aligns the principles of smart growth, New Urbanism, and green building into a set of national standards for green planning and design at the neighborhood scale. Accompanied by case studies of how municipalities have leveraged LEED-ND as a sustainability tool, the Technical Guidance Manual for Sustainable Neighborhoods will assist local governments in using the LEED-ND criteria to audit their land use regulations, plans, and policies to promote more environmentally sound and economically robust communities. Augmenting the manual, the Neighborhood Development Floating Zone is a model ordinance to help local governments foster green community development using the LEED-ND rating system. The Floating Zone is offered as a cost-effective and efficient tool that can be used by local governments hoping to incentivize the private sector to follow green neighborhood development principles when the more extensive zoning update process laid out in the manual is not an option. Both resources are available for download at no cost:

From Professors John R. Nolon of Pace Law School and Patricia E. Salkin of Albany Law School comes a new book, “Climate Change and Sustainable Development Law in a Nutshell,”which comprehensively explores international, federal, state, and local laws and policies regarding sustainable development and climate change management. The book – a part of the West Nutshell Series - illustrates how national and state governments can motivate local governments in the U.S. to use existing authority and to adopt effective local initiatives to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
For more information, also see:
“NolonandSalkinBookAnnouncement”(scroll down to bottom of page) – a synopsis from the Land Use Prof Blog
“New Book Published on Climate Change and Sustainable Development Law” – a posting from Prof. Salkin on the Law of the Land blog
“Alternatives to Kyoto Cap and Trade”– a posting from Prof. Nolon on the Green Law blog

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